Bills Trade Watkins and Darby In Separate Deals

In a shocking move on Friday afternoon, the Buffalo Bills have reportedly traded WR Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for CB EJ Gaines and a second round pick.

While Watkins is both young and talented, he has missed his fair share of games since entering the NFL in 2014. Missing eleven regular season games in the last two seasons, Watkins has been viewed as injury-prone in the eyes of many. On top of that, Watkins’ rookie contract was set to expire at the end of the 2017 season, leaving the Bills with limited options on how to proceed as a franchise.

In return, the franchise received cornerback EJ Gaines, who is well-known for missing the entire 2015 season with the Rams due to a serious foot injury. The original sixth-round pick bounced back and played his way through eleven regular season games in 2016, as he is now being shipped to the other side of the country in an unexpected deal.

The Bills did not stop there though, as they also traded CB Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for WR Jordan Matthews and a third round pick.

While Darby is heading into his third season with the Bills, he can’t be described as anything more than an average cornerback. Since the departure of Stephon Gilmore this off-season, Darby was viewed as the #1 listed CB within the depth chart of the Bills.

Jordan Matthews is a decent receiver that could very well replace Watkins’ presence in the starting offense. With 800+ receiving yards in each of his three NFL seasons, Matthews even went on to combine for a total of 19 TD’s (only 3 in 2016). While Matthews isn’t an upgrade from Watkins by any means, it’s apparent that the Bills have shown major interest in acquiring skill players, rather than household names.

As one of the pioneers of The Athletes Hub, Tristin Mckinstry is one of the writers, editors, and leaders of the site. With knowledge in just about every sport, Tristin specializes in coverage featuring the city of Detroit.